priate name, has long prevailed in Scotland to a great extent, and has materially contributed, there can be little doubt, to retard its progress in the march of improvement. Even among our gardeners, this spirit long prevailed. The man who would have dared to change the customary working-tools, and substitute better in their place, or who adopted any new mode of treating plants, or who, in short, proposed the slightest innovation in the established mode of gardening, was, a good many years ago, regarded by his brethren as a person who invaded the sacred realms of antiquity, and brought forward his own idle and absurd fancies in place of those fixed opinions which had been sanctioned by, and derived a sort of reverence from, the usage and custom of their fathers. Thus our gardeners were decidedly hostile to every species of improvement. The contemplation of such a picture of decided and bigoted prejudice, as was, some thirty years ago, in existence, presents a degraded view of human nature; and it has been owing principally to three causes that this spirit has been suppressed. First of all, we may attribute its suppression to the labours and exertions of the higher classes, who, being fully able to appre ciate the value of every new discovery, and having their minds unbiassed by any such prejudices as their servants entertained, willingly gave a fair trial to every thing which promised success; and, if useful, they adopted it; if not, it was rejected. But a somewhat severe task awaited the master in overcoming the prejudiced opinions of his gardener, and substituting in their place correct views and accurate judgments. This, sometimes, was difficult; and not few were those who, refusing to work on any but the old system, threw up their situations at once. The press, too, had a great effect in influencing men's minds, by giving room to free and impartial discussion, and by bringing forward the views of those whom all recognised as well calculated to examine and to judge. The example of those gardeners, also, whose minds were superior to any absurd prejudices like those of their brethren, had a great effect in influencing the rest. We now see the Scottish gardeners acknowledged by all to be possessed of a good deal of practical knowledge of their profession. This is their character in general; but some of them deserve a higher character, and to this practical knowledge unite a theoretical acquaintance with many of its more difficult and abstruse branches. Our gardeners are men of sober, industrious, honourable, and steady habits, having a taste for reading, which, in the evening, when their work is over, they frequently indulge in. Being removed, too, in a great measure, from all companionship, by the circumstance of residing on their master's property, this

relish for reading and study naturally gains ground; and, hence, of almost all the humbler classes of men, we find our gardeners by far the best informed, not only with regard to their own profession, but on various subjects totally disconnected with it. Indeed, I have often been surprised at the vast store of general knowledge which many gardeners possess. I myself had one, whose talent and observation were so great, that he used occasionally to compose articles for professional magazines, some of which, I had the pleasure to see, were inserted. Such a gardener is an invaluable treasure. You may rely on it, his work will never be neglected. It is the ignorant and unlettered, in general, who are obstinate and idle.

" 'Tis education forms the common mind,

Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined."

This excellent though trite observation is here, however, very applicable, and its spirit ought to be particularly attended to. From the peculiar advantages which gardeners enjoy, and the good wages which the efficient and valuable among them always receive, they possess the means, if not of purchasing books, at least of reading them at a very trifling expense. But it not unfrequently happens that books of amusement are more eagerly sought for, and read with greater relish, than works of usefulness and professional interest. This is, no doubt, to be deplored, and there is no cure for the evil. Some gardeners are of opinion that professional reading is unnecessary, and that much more is to be learned by actual practice than by theory. Upon such men as these, remonstrances and argument will prove very likely unavailing. But I am of opinion that every master who is himself a botanist, should direct, in some measure, the education of his gardener, by lending him books (which, indeed, may be done by every master), by directing his attention to particular circumstances connected with particular plants, and by a thousand other modes; and there can be no objection started that this inflicts a severe task on the master, and that his instructions will not, likely, be attended to by his servant. The observations made are not to be delivered in the dry uninteresting manner of a teacher to his pupil. Remarks made, casually and sparingly, will, if they be of any value, not fail to be remembered. I anticipate, from the increasing relish manifested by persons of every age and station, and of each sex, for the long neglected study of the vegetable kingdom, that we shall no longer meet with gardeners who have no zeal for their profession, going through its duties idly and listlessly, nor with masters who are ignorant of the names and qualities of the plants, trees, &c., in their possession. Ido VOL. V.- No. 18.

C

not know exactly what is the case in your quarter; but in Edinburgh the study of botany is prosecuted by all. Old as I am myself, and long accustomed and habituated to another profession and other thoughts, I have begun, some time since, to this delightful study, and have prosecuted it with the greatest ardour; and this is not the ardour of youth, quick, fiery, and evanescent, which can be called away in a moment, to be fixed on some more attractive objects. With the excellent Compendium of Sir J. Smith in my pocket, and my tin boxes slung across my shoulders, many are the rambles I have taken to Pentland Hills, Roslin, and along the shores of our beautiful Firth; and great is the good I have derived from doing so, not only in the advancement of my botanical studies, but also in strengthening and invigorating my body, and enlivening my mind. The next time you visit Scotland, Mr. Editor, and happen to be in Edinburgh, you must see my Hórtus Siccus, which, I flatter myself, is worth looking at: and here I may be allowed to observe, that although it is not so much the province of the gardener as of the botanist to gather a Hórtus Síccus; yet, in my humble opinion, no gardener should be ignorant either of the proper time and season for collecting specimens, what parts of plants should, in preference to others, be selected, or of the manner of drying and preserving the specimens when collected. The desire which every one who pretends to even the slightest botanical knowledge, now feels to collect a herbarium, points out the necessity of this additional knowledge being acquired by all gardeners; and, as the labour and study are not great, nor of long continuance, less excuse can be pleaded for ignorance.

You will, perhaps, allow me, Mr. Editor, in the next Number of your valuable Magazine, to give a very few hints on this, in my opinion, interesting subject.

I am Sir, &c.

W. D.

ART. V. Remarks on the Conduct of some Master-Gardeners to their Journeymen. By R. S. E.

Sir,

I AM a constant reader of your Magazine, receiving from it both amusement and instruction. Among the many subjects which it embraces, the relative situations and deportment of masters and journeymen gardeners to each other are occasionally introduced. While I regard with the utmost respect the kind and attentive behaviour of many (I hope a great majority of)

masters to the young men under them, I am sorry, at the same time, to have cause to complain of and deplore the selfish feelings which seem to actuate others.

Some gardens which are celebrated for their extent, superiority of management, or for the ability or character of the superintendent, are those into which young men are anxious to gain admittance; but before they can obtain this advantage, they must submit to bribe the master by a douceur of a sum beyond their ability to pay, or to be able to furnish must suffer the most rigid self-denial and inconvenience. When such bonus is presented by the pupil or his friends, for favours and instructions received, it comes gracefully from the one party, and may be gracefully and fairly accepted by the other; because it is an offering of gratitude from the first, and is a tribute clearly due to the latter; but when we see certain men, whom fortunate circumstances have placed in such situations, sternly exacting this oppressive tax, as the absolute passport to their favour, I cannot help thinking that it is as degrading to themselves as it is oppressive to their journeymen.

or

In some cases, indeed, such a claim is perfectly fair: a labourer from the fields or pleasure-ground, and who has served no apprenticeship, is ambitious of becoming a gardener, and afterwards offering himself to the world as a pupil of the celebrated Mr. A- -, from the gardens of the Duke of the Earl of; in this case, the rustic should certainly pay the master who teaches him a business: but the young man, who has served a regular apprenticeship, paid his fee, &c., while in pursuit of a further knowledge of his business, should not, I think, become the prey of rapacity, or have the doors of science shut against him, merely because he has not five guineas to fee the porter.

Master-gardeners should really consider this. If eminent in their business, they surely can demand adequate compensation from their employers, without leaning oppressively on their young assistants, and depriving them of the means of purchasing books, &c., so necessary for acquiring the principles, while they are learning the practice, of the art.

I am, Sir, yours, &c.

Edinburgh, May 19. 1828.

R. S. E.

ART. VI. On some recent Improvements in the Methods of heating Hot-houses and Hot-beds by Hot Water. By R. W. BYERS, Esq.

Sir,

THINKING that the following experiments may be interesting to the adopters of the admirable hot-water system, I beg to communicate them, with a few details of their application. For the last twelve months I have had nearly daily experience in my own small houses of the effect of hot water, in preserving heat and stimulating my plants; even, perhaps, more than I required: and had I not taken great care, I believe many of my Amaryllidea would have suffered from the great heat given to the sand immediately above my delivering 4 in. pipe; but, examining the pots several times a day, I could raise them until the damper had taken effect, and reduced the water in the pipes to about 90° or 100°. (This I consider the maximum of heat where you apply bottom heat through a medium of damp sand.) As you may suppose, this plan of raising the pots occupied much time and labour; to obviate it, I resolved to try whether lateral branches might not be applied to the main delivering pipe; thus constituting it the boiler to the branch. Accordingly, I had an apparatus made of tin, 10 ft. long, with 4-inch pipes, not round, but oblate, from the delivering pipe of which proceeded laterals, of 1 in. diameter, and 10 ft. 6 in. long. (fig. 4. a a) This was tried, and fully answer

ed, and the branches became heated with the same rapidity as the main delivering

+

a

pipe. Again, I

had pipes, only

three-eighths of an inch in dia

b

a

meter, attached to the main delivering pipe, purposely to see if the effect would be the same: the result was equally satisfactory. Again, I had a tray made (fig. 5.), 2 in. deep, 16 in.

long, and 12 in. wide; at one end of which, at the side, a 1-inch pipe (a) was introduced; and at the opposite extremity, at

the bottom, another 1-inch pipe (b) was soldered: this proceeded to, and entered the lower part of, the delivering main, like as